What has happened in the Israel-Hamas prisoner-exchange deal so far?

The first two days of an ongoing four-day truce between Hamas and the Occupation saw the Palestinian factions release 39 Israeli women and children from Gaza so far, while Israeli authorities had released 78 Palestinian women and children from Occupation prisons at the time of writing with another set of releases due Sunday night.

In occupied Jerusalem, the Occupation government took tough measures against any form of celebratory reception of the freed Palestinians, banning gatherings around Ofer Prison, raiding the houses of at least two of the freed Palestinians to expel gathered family members, and even taking some of them in for questioning.

Celebrations could not be contained in the West Bank, however, as videos showed scenes of the freed women and children hugging family members for the first time in years, as well as hundreds of Palestinians gathered to receive them in festive marches, filled with cheers for the Qassam Brigades and its commanders and prayers for the Gaza Strip.

Citing Israel’s violations of the agreed terms of the prisoner exchange deal, the Qassam Brigades delayed the release of 13 out of the 26 Israeli detainees on Saturday. 

Humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip was less than what was agreed, said Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan, while little of it reached northern Gaza. The brigades also objected that not enough longtime prisoners were freed in the first swap. 

The prisoner swap was eventually implemented after Egypt and Qatar said the standing issues were resolved.

Despite the truce deal increasing the amount of humanitarian aid entering the strip to hundreds of trucks, including four fuel trucks per day, Border Crossing Authority head, Hesham Edwan, told Al Jazeera the besieged enclave requires thousands of trucks per day to meet its needs.

As some of the Palestinians displaced from Gaza’s north by the seven weeks of Israeli airstrikes sought to return to their homes in the north during the relative calm brought about by the truce, Occupation forces still stationed on Salah al-Din Road opened fire. They killed at least two and wounded 30, Hany Abou Hatab, an eyewitness, told Mada Masr.

As the truce came into effect, dozens of Palestinians stuck in Egypt since October 7 began returning to the Gaza Strip. 250 Palestinians, out of hundreds still in Egypt, decided to return to Gaza between Friday and Saturday. 

Occupation violence also continued in the West Bank, where forces raided the Jenin refugee camp on Saturday killing Palestinian doctor Shamekh Kamal Abul Rabb, 25, and wounded his brother as well as another man. 

17 more Palestinians were also arrested from the West Bank between Friday night and Saturday morning, adding up to 3,160 detained since October 7.